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Barra MacNeils perform for prime minister before embarking on Christmas tour
(Toronto) The Barra MacNeils, by special request, performed two songs for Prime Minister Jean Chretien?s farewell party at the Air Canada Centre last Thursday, November 13. The sensational Cape Breton, Nova Scotia-based group provided special entertainment alongside other music industry notables, including Paul Anka and Oscar Peterson. The Barra MacNeils were later called on to conclude the televised evening with a sterling rendition of the Canadian national anthem. Ten thousand well-wishers were in attendance.
Following the landmark performance, the Barra MacNeils returned home to Sydney Mines in preparation for their Christmas tour, which begins November 29 in Langley, BC. After seven West Coast dates, including Vancouver and Victoria, the group arrives in Ontario for ten concerts, as well as one in Buffalo, New York and another in Montreal. On December 20, the Barra MacNeils perform at Massey Hall with very special guest, Rita MacNeil, in what has become a holiday tradition. To close out the holiday season, the four siblings return home for three dates in Cape Breton, concluding their Christmas tour on December 23.
The Barra MacNeils will be represented on television, too. ?The Barra MacNeils Christmas? TV special will be programmed on CMT, Bravo, Vision and, for the first time this year, on PBS. Demand for this exceptional show has been so strong that it has also been released on both DVD and VHS.
?The Christmas Album,? the Barra MacNeils? festive holiday release, is available at music retailers through new distributor, Shoreline Records/EMI Music.
The MacNeils, whose ancestors came from Scotland?s Isle of Barra, have been preparing their next album, which is scheduled to be released in the Spring of 2004. The group, whose self-titled debut album was released in 1986, has recorded seven albums in addition to ?The Christmas Album.? A greatest hits package, ?Until Now,? has also been released.
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